Methods and devices for detecting a tendency of a vehicle to tip are known in a great variety of modifications from the related art.
German Patent No. 44 16 991 describes a method and a device for warning the driver of a truck about the danger of tipping when cornering. To do so, the vehicle type and the status data relevant for the risk of tipping are determined before the vehicle enters the curve, and the tipping risk or the critical velocity crucial for the latter is ascertained as a function of the vehicle center of gravity and the curve radius. A signal prompting the driver to reduce his speed is triggered when the prevailing traveling speed of the vehicle establishes the risk of tipping, or a predefined safety margin from the risk of tipping is no longer met. The vehicle traveling speed at which there is with certainty no danger of tipping is ascertained on the basis of a tipping equation. The tipping equation includes, inter-alia, the traveling speed, the curve radius traveled by the vehicle, the height of the vehicle center of gravity over the roadway, as well as the imbalance of the wheel loads. The wheel loads are ascertained with the aid of wheel-load sensors embedded in the roadway. If the vehicle traveling speed falls short of a predefined safety margin relative to the traveling speed at the limit of the danger of tipping, then a signal is generated warning the vehicle driver about the excessive speed when navigating the curve. The signal indicating the excessive traveling speed is triggered until the respective measured traveling speed is reduced to an extent ruling out any danger of tipping. German Patent No. 44 16 991 also describes that the slippage of the wheels of the respective vehicle on the roadway can be ascertained and taken into consideration when assessing the danger of tipping.
An object of the present invention is to improve the method for detecting a tendency of a vehicle to tip.